Auditioning for a multiple woodwinds degree program

ByBret Pimentel

I had an exchange by email with someone today, that I thought might be of use to all you hordes of prospective multiple woodwinds majors out there.

Hi Mr. Pimentel,
My name is Mike ________ from _______ University, and I am an aspiring doubler. I have been doing some looking around at graduate schools and programs, and I have found there still are a few programs that still offer doubling. What I have not found are the requirements or guidelines for auditions. I was wondering how an audition for a doubling program would go. What kind of things should I prepare? Do I audition on all the instruments? Thanks for your insight.
Mike

My reply:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the message—always nice to hear from a fellow doubler.

If you haven’t already, check this out:
https://bretpimentel.com/woodwinds/doubling/degree-programs
I think this is the closest thing there is to a complete list of doubling programs. If you run across any more in your search, send me another email!

Each school’s requirements will be different. Send an email to the chair of the woodwind department at each school that interests you (or maybe the professor of your major instrument, if you’re not sure), introduce yourself briefly, and inquire about audition requirements. If you are hoping to start a program in fall 2009, the time to start inquiring is NOW, since a few schools have their auditions as early as November or December.

I can tell you what I did at the schools I auditioned at, but be aware that these requirements change.

For masters degree programs in five woodwinds, I auditioned at North Texas and Indiana.

At North Texas, I did three separate auditions, one on my “primary” instrument (saxophone), and two on “secondary” instruments (flute and clarinet). For the primary instrument I had two or three large works prepared, and for the secondaries I had either a small work or a movement of a large work.

At Indiana, I auditioned only on my “primary” instrument, but I believe this has now changed. I prepared 2 or 3 major works. I ended up going to Indiana.

For doctoral programs in five woodwinds, I auditioned at Indiana, Miami, and Georgia. Each required three instruments on the audition.

Indiana wanted my three strongest instruments, which at the time were saxophone, clarinet and flute, each played in a separate audition.

I prepared a slightly different audition for Miami and Georgia. One required flute and one required at least one double reed (I don’t remember which). I think I had two major saxophone works and one major work each on flute and oboe. Georgia also required orchestral excerpts on each instrument. Both schools did a single recital-style audition. I ended up going to Georgia.

Hope that helps! Good luck.

Best,
Bret

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    Here are some of the questions readers sent me in celebration of this blog’s 10-year anniversary. I have edited, combined, and otherwise adapted some of them but hopefully there are answers here for those of you who were kind enough to inquire.

    Why does music move humanity so profoundly?

    My personal belief is that music is divine in origin, and that there is something inherent to humankind that responds to music. Since I believe that everyone is a child of God, I suppose the love of music is a divinely-inherited trait. Leaders in my faith have said, for example, that “Music is given of God to further his purposes,” and observed “Music is truly the universal language, and when it is excellently expressed how deeply it moves our souls.”

    If that’s not your style, you may prefer Darwin’s speculation that the earliest attempts at human language were more like musical gestures than like words. An ability to relate to these sounds is at the foundation of language in the more modern sense, and thus underlies virtually all human experience and culture.

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    Are applied music studios in higher education sustainable considering the supply of music graduates exceeds available employment?

    There are issues here for sure. I can only vouch for my own approach:

    Most of my university students are music education majors, and where I live this does seem to be sustainable. My graduates for the most part are able to land and keep jobs doing what they are trained for: directing middle school and high school bands.

    Many of my students at some point inquire about the degree in performance. If they are interested in that route and have the skill to pursue it, we have a long talk about the career path of a performance major. Essentially, a bachelors degree in performance qualifies you for one thing, entry into an masters program. The masters qualifies you for a doctoral program, and that qualifies you to teach in higher education and perpetuate the cycle. We talk seriously about the prospects for employment in higher ed (slim).

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    Music is great but it’s not the right career for everyone. Make your life choices carefully and honestly.

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